Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III assured that no last-minute insertions will be allowed in the proposed 2026 General Appropriations Bill (GAB), saying that all amendments must be made only during the bill’s second reading.
“Walang mag-iinsert sa third reading o sa Bicam. Sa madaling salita, zero insertions,” Sotto stressed.
Sotto said the move is aimed at preventing questionable allocations from being slipped into the budget at the final stages of legislation.
He also revealed that President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. has declined to certify the budget as urgent, citing concerns over transparency.
“Nung LEDAC namin, sinabi niya agad, ‘I will not certify any of your budget as urgent dahil baka isipin nila inaapura natin,’” Sotto quoted the President as saying.
The Senate leader emphasized that their goal is to remove unprogrammed funds and realign them to appropriate agencies, ensuring that vital programs are properly funded and accounted for.
“Hindi namin papayagan na maging unprogrammed lang ‘yun nang ganun,” he said, referring to allocations like AICS (Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation) and MAIP (Medical Assistance to Indigent Patients), which he believes should be placed under the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and the Department of Health (DOH), respectively.
Sotto said he had already discussed the matter with Senator Sherwin Gatchalian, noting that while they intend to remove unprogrammed items, foreign-assisted projects pose a challenge since these cannot easily be deleted from the budget.
“Ang usapan namin ni Sen. Sherwin, sabi ko ‘Win, ‘yung unprogrammed burahin natin ‘yun ah.’ Ang sabi niya, ang problema dun ay ‘yung foreign assisted. Hindi natin pwedeng alisin basta basta foreign assisted [projects],” Sotto explained.
Earlier this week, the House of Representatives approved on third and final reading its version of the ₱6.793-trillion 2026 national budget.
The lower chamber removed ₱35 billion from the unprogrammed funds under the Strengthening Assistance for Government Infrastructure Program (SAGIP) but rejected a motion by Akbayan Party-list Rep. Chel Diokno to scrap the entire ₱249 billion unprogrammed appropriations.
Sotto reiterated that the Senate will push for greater accountability and transparency in budget deliberations.
“Kung mayroon silang inilalagay sa unprogrammed katulad ng AICS at MAIP, ‘yung medical assistance, ilagay sa institusyon, sa [DSWD] at DOH. Bakit kailangan nasa unprogrammed?” he said.
To further promote openness, Sotto also backed the livestreaming of Bicameral Conference Committee (Bicam) sessions on multiple platforms.
“Sisiguruhin ko ang livestreaming ay open hindi lamang sa Facebook ng Senate kundi pati sa YouTube,” he assured, adding that anyone who wishes to observe the Bicam proceedings will be welcome to do so.